Music Conservatory of Westchester • Faculty

Born in Mt. Kisco, New York, Frances Caldwell grew up hearing her mother play piano and her father sing along with the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts every Saturday. “I was galvanized by Bach and Beethoven, and practiced so much my parents would leave the house!”

After earning her bachelors degree in music from Smith College, she stayed on to teach as a Faculty Fellow. Frances then entered the masters program at U.C. Berkeley, where she was awarded a teaching assistantship. She then moved to Paris where she completed her graduate work, earning a diplome supérieur in piano performance from the Conservatoire Europée de Musique de Paris.

“I love teaching all ages and levels. My approach is to start with the student’s natural strengths and to build up the other areas as we go along. It’s exciting and deeply rewarding to see the physical, intellectual, and emotional components eventually come together in a fine performance.” Her favorite kind of music is chamber music of any era – intimate conversation in a universal language.

A member of the Conservatory faculty since 1974, Ms. Caldwell has also taught in France and for many years at the School for Strings in New York City. “I love the international mix here at the Conservatory. My current students have backgrounds from India, Ecuador, the Philippines, Russia, Malta, and Peru.”

Photo/Pinsky Studio

Return to complete Faculty List

Conservatory faculty are all highly skilled and experienced teachers. Teachers are assigned to maximize the learning experience of each student taking into account the students musical interests and goals, age and scheduling needs.

"I am very happy and proud of Jun Luke Foster’s and Benjamin Boventer’s achievements. I taught Jun Luke for 12 years and his acceptance to Juilliard School of Music is a great sign of his musical maturity and accomplishment. He was also accepted to Harvard and Yale. Benjamin was with me for five years. He won a prestigious $40,000 scholarship from Skidmore College for music studies. He was the only pianist in that competition who received this award. He was also accepted at Tufts University. It is very satisfying to know that our students continue to achieve such success." —Svetlana Gorokovich, MCW Faculty

Conservatory faculty are all highly skilled and experienced teachers. Teachers are assigned to maximize the learning experience of each student taking into account the students musical interests and goals, age and scheduling needs.

"I am very happy and proud of Jun Luke Foster’s and Benjamin Boventer’s achievements. I taught
Jun Luke for 12 years and his acceptance to Juilliard School of Music is a great sign of his musical maturity and accomplishment. He was also accepted to Harvard and Yale. Benjamin was with me for five years. He won a prestigious $40,000 scholarship from Skidmore College for music studies. He was the only pianist in that competition who received this award. He was also accepted at Tufts University. It is very satisfying to know that our students continue to achieve such success."
—Svetlana Gorokovich, MCW Faculty

Frances Caldwell | Piano

Music Conservatory of Westchester • 216 Central Avenue, White Plains, NY 10606
914.761.3900 • info@musiced.org

The Music Conservatory of Westchester is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

Site designed by 744Creative.com